About

$36,548

pledged of $25,000 goal

639

backers

We're in the closing hours of this campaign, and I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who backed, shared, and/or otherwise spread the word about this project. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :) After the campaign closes, stay informed by reading the kickstarter updates or the official Five Moons RPG blog!

October 28 Update: We hit the $35k funding goal, so the Monster Guide is pre-funded! As a special bonus for that stretch goal, we're adding a free PDF of theMonster Guideto every print Monster Guide reward.

October 22 Update: Here's an example-of-play video demonstrating the skills, combat, and using the "boost" game mechanic for various effects.

Five Moons is a fantasy RPG designed by me, Sean K Reynolds. Its play style will be familiar to fans of D&D and the Pathfinder RPG, but colored by my experiences in the tabletop, card, and video game industry over the past 19 years.

Do you spend more time creating a character than actually playing that character? Does the minmaxer in your group hog the spotlight instead of being a team player? Do you think spellcasters are too good compared to fighters and rogues? Does your character's dependence on magic items feel like a "Christmas tree"? It's time to reboot your playing experience.

With Five Moons RPG, you can play a character that's fun and successful without having to focus on combat math. You can choose skills that make your character well-rounded--without making you vulnerable. You can wear magic items that are fun and flavorful instead of just being a source of plusses. You can defeat opponents using diplomacy or intimidation, and not just with one all-or-nothing roll.

This is a game that mixes old-school simplicity with the customizability of a modern RPG.

The goals for this game are:

* Create a book that's easy to read, understand, play, and reference, like the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box (a product I wrote and am very proud of).

* Make characters less dependent upon their gear to survive and succeed.

* Create a longer play experience in the leveling "sweet spot" (the D&D/PFRPG equivalent of level 6 to level 12) and allow characters to level more frequently so they don't remain exactly the same for many game sessions. (leveling "sweet spot" blog)

* Simplify scaling monster encounters against various character levels.

(The above links point to specific blog entries I've made about those points on the Five Moons RPG blog.)

The target funding level of this campaign is to create two initial books:

Five Moons Corebook: A 128-page hardcover book containing player and GM info, such as classes, races, character creation, skills, combat, magic items, environment, and running a campaign. Also known as "the Corebook."

Five Moons Player's Guide: A 64-page trimmed-down version of the rules, providing everything a player needs to create a character and play the game.

Stretch goals beyond this will fund the creation of additional books, starting with the Monster Guide, a 32-page book of monsters (see Stretch Goals, below).

Some of the rewards for this kickstarter are multiple books grouped together into bundles. To keep the different rewards and add-ons from getting confusing as stretch goals add more to each backer level, each backer level grants you a specific bundle, and the bundles are described below. This lets you select what set of rewards you want with one bundle instead of having to manually specify add-ons to your reward levels.

For example, the "Ultimate PDF Backer" bundle offers you the Corebook PDF, Player's Guide PDF, Monster Guide PDF (the first stretch goal), and PDFs of all other books that are unlocked as stretch goals. Bundles will grow larger and more valuable if we reach the stretch goals we have planned.

Confused? Check out this handy chart! The columns are the backer level, the rows are the rewards, and the dots mean you get that row's reward if you select that column's backer level. Note: I'm committed to this project and these books. Even if we don't pre-fund a book as a stretch goal, the book will get made, so there's no reason not to pick a reward that includes the later books. I'm a game industry pro, I've been making RPGs for almost 20 years, and self-publishing for more than 10 years.

Here's a description of all the backer levels, unlocked books, and the bundles.

Book of Treasures (locked stretch goal): A 32-page sourcebook of new magic items.

Character Options (locked stretch goal): A 32-page sourcebook of new classes and player character abilities.

Cults and Guilds (locked stretch goal): A 32-page sourcebook about factions, religions, and organizations in the World of Five Moons.

Corebook: The Five Moons RPG Corebook. Anyone who backs this project at a level that gives the Corebook will also receive the Monster Preview PDF. Anyone who backs this project at a level that gives the Corebook in print will also receive the Corebook PDF.

Group Portrait (bundle): One Corebook (in PDF and print), three copies of the Player's Guide (in PDF and print), the Monster Preview PDF, and a half-page black & white illustration by artist Gerald Lee. In this illustration, Gerald will draw up to four characters from your gaming group (or fantasy versions of your players) in a battle scene against monsters. This illustration will appear in the Corebook and Player's Guide, and will include a caption with the name of your characters or players. You will receive a high-resolution image file of this illustration. This bundle continues to gain additional items as we meet stretch goals.

Inner Circle (bundle): The Print Core bundle, Ultimate PDF Backer bundle, and the playtest materials. You are given access to the "pitch room" where you can suggest ideas for future products or the contents of future products, and will receive credit if we use any of your ideas. (If your ideas are really amazing, you might be offered a contract to design for SKRG.) This bundle continues to gain additional books as we meet stretch goals.

Land of the Five Moons (locked stretch goal): A 32-page sourcebook about the Land of the Five Moons setting.

Monster Guide: A 32-page sourcebook with monster descriptions and game statistics, plus 40 or more animal stat blocks. Note: Anyone who backs the kickstarter at a level that gets this book in print also gets the PDF for free.

Monster Preview: This PDF-only book contains 8 monster stat blocks and 40+ animal stat blocks. All backers at the PDF Player level or higher will receive this reward. This reward means anyone who has at least the Player's Guide will have monsters to battle!

Name a Power: You get to name a spell, power, or magic item in the game after yourself or your character (like Bigby's interposing hand, Daern's instant fortress, or Tenser's transformation, but with your name).

PDF Player (bundle): The Player's Guide PDF, and the Monster Preview PDF. This bundle continues to gain additional items as we meet stretch goals.

click for character sheet preview

Player's Guide: The Five Moons RPG Player's Guide. All backers whose backer level gives them this book also receives the Monster Preview PDF for free. All backers whose backer level gives them this book in print also receives the Player's Guide PDF for free.

Print Player (bundle): The Player's Guide (in PDF and print), and the Monster Preview PDF. This bundle continues to gain additional items as we meet stretch goals.

Shopkeeper (bundle): (Verified brick-and-mortar game retailers only) The Corebook (4 copies in PDF and print), Player's Guide (3 copies in PDF and print), Monster Guide (a stretch goal) (3 copies in print), Monster Preview (in PDF), and Adventure #1: Caves of the Venomous Pillar (a stretch goal) (3 copies in print). Your store name will be listed in the Corebook credits. Sean K Reynolds will write an article about your store on his website. You will also receive a special retailer's kit of promotional items. We anticipate that you will receive the books ahead of the general street date, and you have our permission to offer them for sale as soon as you receive them. Sean will write an article about your store on his website. We will be verifying the fact that you are an actual brick-and-mortar games retailer. This bundle continues to gain additional items as we meet stretch goals.

Ultimate PDF Backer (bundle): All of the above unlocked books in PDF, plus the playtest materials. This bundle continues to gain additional books as we meet stretch goals.

Ultimate Print Backer (bundle): All of the above unlocked books in print, plus the Corebook in PDF, Player's Guide in PDF, and the playtest materials. This bundle continues to gain additional books as we meet stretch goals.

Ultimate Shopkeeper (bundle): (Verified brick-and-mortar game retailers only.) The Corebook (8 copies in PDF and print), Player's Guide (6 copies in PDF and print), Monster Preview (in PDF), Monster Guide (a stretch goal) (6 copies in print), and Adventure #1: Caves of the Venomous Pillar (a stretch goal) (6 copies in print). Your store name listed in the Corebook credits. Sean K Reynolds will write an article about your store on his website. You will also receive a special retailer's kit of promotional items. We anticipate that you will receive the books ahead of the general street date, and you have our permission to offer them for sale as soon as you receive them. Further, Sean will visit your store to do a signing, a talk, and run a game. Sean will write an article about your store on his website. We will be verifying the fact that you are an actual brick-and-mortar games retailer. This bundle continues to gain additional items as we meet stretch goals.

Like most fantasy RPGs, you can use Five Moons RPG to run your own campaign world or a published game setting by another company. Some of the design decisions for the game were made with a new setting in mind: the World of Five Moons.

In this campaign setting, various civilizations are spread out over many islands in a flat sea. Circling above are five large moons (each representing a powerful god-like entity), and below is a cloud of ether inhabited by alien shapechanging dragons. Magical barriers prevented the civilizations from mixing for decades, but the barriers recently collapsed, allowing a new era of exploration, trade, and conflict between peoples.

You can run a campaign in the World of Five Moons as a straight-up adventure-based setting with humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, lost civilizations, and all the fantasy trappings you are used to. Or you can look deeper and delve into who created this world, the reason why its various humanoid races can interbreed, and address the question of what it is to be "human" in a world where people can alter their shapes as an act of will or in response to environmental factors. Here is an in-character overview blog post about the setting.

Now that this project has hit its $25,000 funding goal, we can reveal stretch goals here that'll fund the creation of additional books for the game.

(Keep in mind: I am committed to making all of the books listed as part of this project, whether or not we hit these stretch goals. Having them as stretch goals just means they're pre-funded, which means I can pay the designers, artists, and editors sooner rather than later.)

Stretch Goal #1: pre-fun the Five Moons Monster Guide: Achieved! Now everyone whose backer reward includes this book in print also gets it in PDF.

We're in the process of determining the cost of add-ons like dice and t-shirts. In the meantime, you can select the following add-ons by manually increasing your pledge, including multiple copies.

(Be sure to add the listed extra shipping cost for physical items, which are listed after each item.)

Player's Guide PDF: add $7 for each PDF.

Player's Guide in print: add $20 for each book, plus $5 total for USA shipping or plus $20 total for international shipping.

Corebook PDF: Add $14 for each PDF.

Corebook in print: add $35 for each book, plus $5 total for USA shipping or plus $20 total for international shipping .

Monster Guide in print: Add $7 for the PDF, or $12 for print+PDF (buy it in print, you get the PDF for free). Add $5 for USA shipping or $20 total for international shipping. (If your reward includes the Corebook in print or Player's Guide in print, you do not need to add anything for shipping the Monster Guide, as it'll all go in the same shipment.)

Adventure #1 Cavern of the Venomous Pillar: Add $12 for each print book, plus $5 total for USA shipping or plus $20 total for international shipping. Add $7 for the PDF. (If your reward includes the Corebook in print, Player's Guide in print, or Monster Guide in print, you do not need to add anything for shipping this adventure, as it'll all go in the same shipment.)

Solo Portrait: Add $75 for a one-third-page black & white illustration by artist Gerald Lee. In this illustration, Gerald will draw one character from your gaming group (or fantasy versions of you or someone you know) in a standing pose or ready for action. This illustration will appear in the Corebook and Player's Guide, and will include a caption with the name of your character (or the player it represents). You will receive a high-resolution image file of this illustration.

T-Shirts: Not technically add-ons, but JBM Press will be making Five Moons t-shirts using official art! You'll be able to order them directly from jbmpress.com.

As other books are unlocked, they'll also be added to this section (mainly for people whose backer levels don't automatically include those books).

You can help spread the word about this project by using these badges and this Facebook cover photo on social media. And here is a one-page flier you can hang up at your local game store (get permission first!). With more backers we are able to hit stretch goals faster!

Sean K Reynolds is 19-year veteran designer of the RPG industry. He's written for D&D, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Birthright, Alternity, World of Darkness, Numenera, and Pathfinder, and on licensed products for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel, DC, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Exalted, and World of Warcraft. He's designed or developed over 200 RPG products, including coordinating two collaboration charity books involving A-list designers such as Monte Cook, Matt Forbeck, Ed Greenwood, James Jacobs, Mike Mearls, F. Wesley Schneider, and Owen K.C. Stephens.

Gerald Lee did editorial and conceptual design at Valiant Comics, where he developed concepts for Ninjak and the birth of the Magic the Gathering comics series. He mentored under Tony DiTerlizzi, which opened the door to projects for Iron Kingdoms, Dreamscarred Press, and Paizo. In between monster art and storyboarding, Gerald has designed jewelry for Jessica Simpson's fashion line, Bloomingdale's, Anthropologie, Bebe, and other designer labels. He is an origami enthusiast, a certified fire guard, and has a knack for connecting with some great creative minds.

Risks and challenges

I have been designing, developing, and self-publishing RPG books for over 10 years. I've written for 2nd edition AD&D (including Birthright, Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Ravenloft), 3rd edition D&D (including Dragonlance, Eberron, Greyhawk, and Forgotten Realms), Pathfinder RPG, and the World of Darkness. I was a developer/designer for Pathfinder for 6 years.
My work includes the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (which won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement), the Pathfinder RPG Beginner Box (which won the ENnie Award for Product of the Year), as well as many other award-winning books.

The preliminary outline, structure, and design concepts on this book are finished, now there's just the task of writing the basic structure, playtesting, and fleshing out the rest of the rules material. It'll be hard work, but it's hard work that I've been doing for almost 20 years. I'm used to meeting tough deadlines.

What might go wrong? A setback in the playtesting, editing, layout, or printing might delay the book, but if this became a problem I know enough people to fill in on an emergency basis and get the project finished. I was a book developer for Paizo for 6 years and I'm used to dealing with setbacks and getting books finished on schedule.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $23 or more
About $23

PDF CORE WITH MONSTERS: You receive the PDF Core With Monsters bundle; initially this includes the Corebook PDF, Player's Guide PDF, Monster Preview PDF, and Monster Guide PDF. (The Monster Guide is the first stretch goal.) (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

PRINT CORE 2: You receive the Print Core bundle, which initially is the Corebook and Player's Guide in print and the Monster Preview in PDF. (The other Print Core reward level at $40 was an early bird special.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

NAMED CORE: You receive the Named Core bundle; this is the same as the Print Core bundle (the Corebook and Player's Guide in print), plus the Name a Power reward (you get to name a spell, power, or magic item in the game after yourself or your character, like Bigby's interposing hand, Daern's instant fortress, or Tenser's transformation, but with your name).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

ULTIMATE PDF BACKER: You receive the Ultimate PDF Backer bundle; you will receive the Corebook in PDF, Player's Guide in PDF, and Monster Guide in PDF, plus a PDF of every Five Moons RPG product published between August 2015 and August 2016. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $81 or more
About $81

PRINT CORE WITH MONSTERS: You receive the Print Core With Monsters bundle; initially this includes the Corebook in print, Player's Guide in print, Monster Preview PDF, and Monster Guide in print. (The Monster Guide is the first stretch goal.) (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $90 or more
About $90

NAMED CORE 2: You receive the Named Core bundle; this is the same as the Print Core bundle (the Corebook and Player's Guide in print), plus the Name a Power reward (you get to name a spell, power, or magic item in the game after yourself or your character, like Bigby's interposing hand, Daern's instant fortress, or Tenser's transformation, but with your name). (The other Named Core reward was an early bird special.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $120 or more
About $120

GM'S FAVORITE: You receive the GM's Favorite bundle, which includes the Corebook in print, Player's Guide in print, Monster Guide in print, and all Five Moons adventures published by Sean K Reynolds Games between August 2015 and August 2016. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

SHOPKEEPER: (brick-and-mortar game retailers only) You receive 4 copies (in print) of the Corebook, plus 3 copies each (in print) of the Player's Guide, Monster Guide, and Adventure #1: Cavern of the Venomous Pillar, plus an extra copy of the Corebook. Your store name will be listed in the credits of the book and PDF. Sean K Reynolds will write an article about your store on his website. You will also receive a special retailer's kit of promotional items. We anticipate that you will receive the books ahead of the general street date, and you have our permission to offer them for sale as soon as you receive them. We will be verifying the fact that you are an actual brick-and-mortar games retailer.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $170 or more
About $170

ULTIMATE PRINT BACKER: You receive the Ultimate Print Backer bundle; you will receive the Corebook in print, Player's Guide in print, and Monster Guide in print, plus a print copy of every Five Moons RPG product published between August 2015 and August 2016. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.) Products will be delivered as they are available.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

ULTIMATE SUPER BACKER: You receive the Ultimate PDF Backer bundle and Ultimate Print Backer bundle; you will receive PDF and print copies of the Corebook, Player's Guide, and Monster Guide, plus a PDF and print copy of every other Five Moons RPG product published between August 2015 and August 2016. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.) Products will be delivered as they are available.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $275 or more
About $275

INNER CIRCLE. You receive the Print Core bundle, Ultimate PDF Backer bundle, and all the advance materials that playtesters receive (you can participate in the playtest if you wish). You are given individual online access to Sean, where you can suggest ideas for future products or the contents of future products, and will receive credit if we use any of your ideas. (If your ideas are really amazing, you might be offered a contract to design for SKRG.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $325 or more
About $325

GROUP PORTRAIT: You receive the Group Portrait bundle; you will receive one Corebook (in PDF and print) and three copies of the Player's Guide (in PDF and print). As part of this bundle, artist Gerald Lee draws a half-page B&W illustration of up to four characters from your gaming group (or fantasy versions of your players) into an illustration in the Corebook and Player's Guide. The illustration will include a caption with the name of your characters or players. You will receive a high-resolution image file of this illustration. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

ULTIMATE SHOPKEEPER: (brick-and-mortar game retailers only) You receive 8 copies (in print) of the Corebook, and 6 copies each (in print) of the Player's Guide, Monster Guide, and Adventure #1: Cavern of the Venomous Pillar. (This bundle will have additional items added to it as we reach stretch goals.) Your store name will be listed in the credits of the book and PDF. Sean K Reynolds will write an article about your store on his website. You will also receive a special retailer's kit of promotional items. We anticipate that you will receive the books ahead of the general street date, and you have our permission to offer them for sale as soon as you receive them. Further, Sean will visit your store to do a signing, a talk, and run a game. We will be verifying the fact that you are an actual brick-and-mortar games retailer.